Page 246 - Canadian BC Science 9

Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer
Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) is an assisted reproductive technology in which egg cells are removed from a woman’s ovaries and combined with sperm cells to produce a “mixture” of eggs and sperm. The mixture is immediately injected into the woman’s fallopian tubes, so that fertilization can take place inside her body. The process differs from in vitro fertilization because an embryo is not produced outside the woman’s body.
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a very specialized procedure in which a single sperm cell is injected into an egg cell (Figure 6.43). The resulting zygote is then inserted into the uterus of the woman. The ICSI procedure can be used when a man has severe fertility problems, such as very low sperm production, or if in vitro fertilization has been unsuccessful. About 25 percent of all ICSI procedures result in a birth.
Figure 6.43 An embryologist injects a sperm cell into an egg cell.
Reading Check
1. What is assisted reproductive technology?
2. What is artificial insemination?
3. What is in vitro fertilization?
4. How does the success rate of in vitro fertilization change as the age
of the woman increases?
5. What is the difference between gamete intrafallopian transfer and in
vitro fertilization?
228 MHR • Unit 2 Reproduction